Loving the Enemy
by damn unique
Summary: Tomoe is trying to find out what's so special about Fuuka's famous Ice-Queen Natsuki Kuga that her beloved Shizuru had turned her down twice. After getting to know her supposed enemy better, she soon finds out that ice is much more soothing than fire.
1. In the Way

_"__**At the bottom of enmity between strangers lies indifference**__**."**_

**A/N:** This story is a 'thank you' (bribe) to my beta HollowPoint, who was/is so nice to sacrifice his precious time to beta my stories (even the ShizNat, although he isn't fond of the pairing -yes I outed you again-). The story is about Natsuki and Tomoe. I'm just saying in case anyone expects ShizNat.

**Summary:** The summary box was much to small. So here the orginal summary: Tomoe Marguerite, leader of the Shizuru-Fanclub in Fuuka Academy, is trying to find out what's so special about the famous Ice-Queen Natsuki Kuga that her beloved Shizuru Onee-sama had turned her down twice. After getting to know her supposed enemy better, she soon finds out that ice is much more soothing than fire. NatTom

**Disclaimer: Sunrise owns the characters.**

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><p><strong>Loving the Enemy<strong>

**Chapter 1 – In the way**

The school ground of Fuuka Academy was emptied out by the sound of the school bell as it marked the end of the day's last lesson. Only a few students were aimlessly strolling around the campus as the sun slowly started to climb down the azure sky, passing some small clouds that were hiding its light now and then. The peaceful quietness was engulfing the place bit by bit while the voices of the cicadas and birds slowly took back their territory. Inside the main building the rooms and halls were flooded with air that was streaming in through some open windows. A clicking could be heard in the distance. It was very low, but still didn't belong there at this time. It was misplaced, and if it weren't for the huge walls nobody would have noticed the silent intruder. Normally the concrete swallowed all the footsteps and voices during the day, but when the building lies in perfect silence even the slightest noise sounds like thunder. A resonating echo of little tip-toe steps slowly closed in on the last door on the right.

The wind sent a light breeze through the room as the door was slit open bit by bit. Gray-eyes peeked through the opening and scanned the room for any signs of life. Finding at least some evidence of it, the jade-haired girl let out a disappointed sigh. Not only did she have no luck in finding Shizuru Onee-sama, quite the opposite she was haunted by the misfortune of finding the person she wanted to see least. It wasn't really a surprise to see the famous Ice-Queen of Fuuka Academy in the student-council room since she was spending a lot of her time with the Kaichou, but to find her here alone and not even awake, surely was at least a little bit unexpected. Pondering about what to do next, Tomoe Marguerite went down a list of options in her mind. After trying to be as reasonable as she could, she finally crossed out option one (silently killing the raven-haired girl in her sleep – Assassin style) and two (locking her inside the room after placing some nasty insects inside).

_It seems I have to go with number three then, although I would have preferred number one by all means. But for now let's be reasonable. Shizuru Onee-sama, probably, wouldn't be delighted if she found her favorite student dead in the council room in the morning. So, here I go with the last remaining option: Know your enemy._

With a sly grin on her lips the girl walked over to a desk and sat down in front of the sleeping upperclassman. Supporting her head with her right hand, Natsuki's eyes were closed tightly while her mouth was opened a bit. Her long hair was swaying in the wind. The picture screamed serenity and only the dark look of Tomoe tainted the scene. The young girl tried to monitor every breath while observing the face of her supposed enemy very thoroughly. A little disappointed that she wasn't able to find any real flaws, she leaned back with sigh. The chair was creaking under her movement and she instantly cursed herself for being so careless. When she lifted her head two emerald orbs were piercing her with a sleepy and puzzled gaze.

_Great… The-too-stupid-to-peep-Award goes to…Tomoe Marguerite, your friendly neighborhood stalker._

While Tomoe was mentally scolding herself, the raven-haired girl slowly came to her senses

"What are you doing here? Shizuru isn't here. She has a meeting." The young girl was surprised about the deep and husky voice, but she tried to act as innocent as possible.

_I cannot let my guard down. I have to be careful. God knows what this delinquent would do to me. After all, we're alone and nobody would notice if she would beat me once or twice. _

"Ugh and here I thought I was the one sleeping." Natsuki waved her hands to see if there was any reaction from the jade-haired girl.

"I was just… resting." Snapping out of her thoughts, Tomoe answered in her sweetest voice while she faked the friendliest smile.

"Resting, huh? Stalking sure must be exhausting." The raven-haired girl twitched a brow and made clear that she had her doubts about the other girl's excuse. Tomoe instinctively got into defensive mode. She bent over her desk and started to argue with the still sleepy girl more than necessary.

"What about you? It's quite a change from famous slacker to living-in-school. Don't you have a home? Why do you sleep here?" She was a bit surprised that she wasn't able to control her voice so well, but the calm behavior of her long term enemy creeped her out. She had always imagined ending up in a fist fight during their first conversation, yet the older girl didn't look like she wanted to fight at all.

"I have, but my roommates are a little noisy and so I decided to take a nap here. Anyhow, I'm heading out." She rose up, her tone so nonchalant that Tomoe started to question herself if this whole observing thing had really been necessary.

"Roommates?" The jaw of the gray-eyed girl dropped by hearing such trivial things out of the mouth of the supposedly bad girl.

"Is that so unthinkable?" Natuski could see that her underclassman was more than just surprised. Normally she would avoid such conversation, but somehow this girl was fun. She had always been interested to find out if the fangirl-robots of Shizuru were made of flesh and blood.

"I had thought you'd live far away in a big castle made of ice where you sit on a throne with a scepter in your hand that can freeze anyone to death, guarded by huge ice-figures that stab you with icicles."

"Okay, I get it. Lots of ice." Natsuki made a small pause. She thought about simply walking out of the room after hearing such nonsense, but she had to admit she wasn't completely innocent about having the nickname Ice-Queen. Her old self would have probably left wordlessly or punched the little brat in the guts, but the last months and especially getting new friends had changed something in her. She wanted to try out the famous thing called communication and so she stayed. "Not that it would matter to you, but I actually moved into the dorms."

"Wow, so that's why you stopped coming in a leather-suit every day."

"What the…?!" She breathed in and out a few times to calm herself down. She wasn't here to get into a fight with a random girl. "You're quite cheeky for an underclassman."

"Being older doesn't make…" Tomoe was ready to snap at her again, but Natsuki was quick to cut her off.

"You have some guts. I like it." Natsuki said with a cool smile. The bluntness let the younger girl fall silent in an instant.

The following moment gave Natsuki the time to take a closer look at her opposite. Outside of her strange haircut the girl looked pretty normal. She came to the conclusion that this fangirl might actually be human, which of course, she was absolutely sure, didn't apply to all of them.

"So, why are you here? Shouldn't you be on your way tracking Shizuru's every step?"

"Of course not. I have things to do."

"Things? You mean the things that caused you to have a rest… here… in the empty student-council room?" Natsuki couldn't hide the mischief in her voice. Of course she knew that it was a lie, but observing the funny twitches in the girl's face was a lot of fun.

"What, is this an interrogation?" She crossed her arms and turned her head pouting towards the window.

The acting reminded Natsuki of Mikoto when she didn't get her food on time and she couldn't hold back her laughter.

"What's so amusing?" _And since when is she capable of laughing anyways? _Tomoe was still not looking at her, and Natsuki decided that it was time to let the girl of the hook.

"So, do you have important business with Shizuru? I could pass something on since I'm going to see her tonight." Going back to main topic seemed like a good alternative to calm the waves.

"No thank you. I see her often enough to tell her myself." came the defiant response.

"Alright then, I don't wanna hold you back from doing your 'things' any longer." Natsuki smiled.

"I am not someone to made fun of Natsuki Kuga." The gray eyes gave her a death-glare, and for some reason Natsuki liked the sulky behavior.

"Well, that wasn't my intention, Tomoe Marguerite." The emerald-eyed girl said still friendly, although it was clear that the choice of words was another mock. But she somehow knew that Tomoe could take it.

"You know my name?" The younger girl's face softened in surprise.

"Of course, you're always around Shizuru."

"So, she is talking about me?" The expression of the jade-haired girl had suddenly changed completely. The dark look was replaced by a happy face with shining eyes.

"I asked her about you." And back again to not so happy anymore.

"What for?" The question didn't sound as if the girl was really interested, but Natsuki answered nonetheless.

"I was asking why a bunch of fangirls follow her around every day."

"And what did she tell you?" The raven-haired girl could tell that Tomoe really wanted to know as much as possible about Shizuru, but giving her the honest answer would probably crush the hopes of her opposite and so she decided to sweeten the blow.

"Not much. But you can always tell me yourself." She lied.

"Why would I?" Tomoe snapped back a little disappointed.

"How would I know?" Natsuki stood up from the chair and walked over to the window. The sun had almost vanished beyond the horizon.

"I'm quite impressed you can't figure it out yourself. Oh no, wait. I'm not impressed at all." Another pouting face followed the harsh words of the middle schooler.

Walking back to the sit on the desk, Natsuki couldn't help but chuckle.

"So, I guess I was right about Shizuru." She said looking outside the window, not really bothering about the other girl's reaction.

Tomoe took a little time to consider if she should end this conversation now, or if she would be brave enough to win this battle. After a moment of struggling, she decided that she would never bow to the Ice Queen.

"I never had to explain this to anyone before. I mean, isn't it quite obvious how gorgeous Shizuru Onee-sama is?" She had to admit she was really a bit confused that she had to tell someone who was so close with the object of her affection, why the Kaichou was so famous.

"Depends. What makes her so special to you?" The unimpressed answer of Natsuki made her feel even more insecure. She began to doubt that the girl in front of her really was the reason why Shizuru Onee-sama treated her the way she did.

"Everything." _That pretty much hits the nail._

"That's a lot."

"Still not nearly enough to describe how perfect she is." Her eyes started to shine again, but the response of Natsuki brought her down to earth in an instant.

"Acts, you mean."

"No, I meant 'is'." Her voice was sharp as she felt the need to protect her precious Kaichou from the harsh words of this supposed friend.

"Whatever." Natsuki felt that her words made the younger one mad and decided to be more careful about them. She could see that the jade-haired girl adored Shizuru to no end.

"The way she talks, the way she smiles. She's always graceful and patient and never does anything inappropriate. She's simply perfect."

"Yes, I think you're right." Natsuki gave away a light smile before she looked outside the window again.

"But didn't you just say that you kind of disagree." The reaction of her upperclassman surprised Tomoe anew.

"There is no right or wrong about personal perception. Shizuru and I have a different history and you and I see her with different eyes. Which is good." Her voice made clear that she didn't want to explain herself any further.

"Do you think she likes me?" Tomoe asked out of the blue.

"I don't know. You need to find out for yourself."

There was a long pause before the gray-eyed girl decided to reward Natsuki with the truth.

"I was here to find out what Shizuru Onee-sama sees in you." A small blush rose to her cheeks and she felt completely stupid now. "I thought that knowing my rival would help me beat you."

"Beat me?" Natsuki couldn't hide the surprise in her voice. "I'm sorry to disappoint you, but I'm afraid I'm not your rival. I don't feel that way for Shizuru. We're friends, and even that has become difficult recently." The last words were barely audible, but Tomoe, being the leader of the fangirl group, had well-trained ears.

"Really?" She asked curiously.

"Really." Natsuki said and turned towards her with a smile.

"Thank god, you're such a weird person, Kuga-san." She said with a content expression.

"Natsuki. It's just Natsuki."

"Thank god, you're such a weird person, Natsuki."

"Same to you." The raven-haired girl chuckled before having a look at the clock. "I got to go now. Do you need a ride?" She normally wasn't that friendly to strangers, but she had to admit that talking to the little brat had been quite amusing, and since it was already getting dark, she would feel bad about leaving her alone on campus.

"Huh?" Surprise and terror were filling her gaze as she stared at the older girl.

"That's what a good upperclassman is supposed to do right? I'm heading off to the city. I could drop you off on the way."

"Hopefully after braking first." The sarcasm in her voice didn't sound very convincing, but Natsuki understood nonetheless and started to fish out her keys.

"We'll see about that." She said and flipped her helmet over to the jade-haired girl. "I hope this one fits your small head."

"It's about quality not quantity." Tomoe said with a grin as she knocked on her head with her fist.

"I'll remember that." Natsuki said with a smile. She winked at the smaller girl before turning around. Tomoe followed her, giving the room back to the silence of the night.

_I guess this can be called success. Now I know that she has no intention of standing between me and Shizuru Onee-sama. I don't get how she cannot see just how special Onee-sama is, but never correct your rival when she is making a mistake. I need to remember to know my friends well, but my foes even better. _

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><p><strong>AN:** First chapter done. I honestly don't expect reviews since I know that unsual pairings don't get a lot of attention. But if anyone read it I hope it was at least a good read.


	2. To hell and gone

"_**Even so, I must admire your skill. You are so gracefully insane."**_

**A/N: **Okay, first of all: A big thank you to all the people who read and reviewed the story. I have to say I was a bit blown away by the resonance but it made me super happy and...super nervous. Well not really, but I suddenly felt pressured^^In a good way of course, and so I tried my best in writing a good second chapter. I hope you guys will like it and that the story will keep your interest._**  
><strong>_

**Disclaimer: Obviously I don't own the characters.**

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><p><strong>Chapter 2 - To hell and gone<strong>

_One more month and I am free… Well, technically… But for at least six weeks it will be only me, my motorcycle and the…_

"NAAATSUKIIIII!"

_What the…?! _ The familiar voice of her busty roommate shook her abruptly out of her sweet summer reverie.

"Ne ne, Natsuki." The raven-haired girl turned her head and saw her friend running towards her, waving her arms in excitement.

"Mai, your voice gives me a headache. Stop yelling." She said with an annoyed undertone.

"Have you heard? We have to take summer classes." The red-head gasped for air. "I, because I failed math, and you, because of your low attendance." Mai stated as she sat down next to her friend.

"You're kidding!" Natsuki rushed into an upright sitting position with terrified eyes.

"No, I am not. I just got informed by Midori."

Seconds ago the raven-haired girl had been lying peacefully on the green grass of her favorite meadow on campus, enjoying the serenity of lunch break far away from the noisy cafeteria, and now her world came crushing down. The image of herself cruising down curvy roads in the sunset burst into pieces as the words sank in.

"So, no holidays for me?" Natsuki's face displayed a mixture of disbelief and terror. Mai couldn't help but chuckle as she watched her friend behaving like a beaten puppy.

"Yes, no holidays for us." She said, not able to remain serious.

"This is hell." The emerald eyes were drifting off to the ground in resignation as she mumbled.

"No, this is school."

"Same thing…" Natsuki let herself sink back on the grass again with a defeated sigh.

"We'll make it through. I promise." The red-head took a look at her clock before she jumped up. "I'm sorry but I have to bring Mikoto her lunch-box, otherwise she'll go berserk during Kendo-club."

"So you only shortly stopped by to destroy my life? Nice."

"At your service." Mai winked at her melodramatic friend. "And to bring you your lunch-box, too. You forgot it this morning." By handing over the package, she also gave Natsuki a reassuring smile.

"This won't help me survive the summer." The husky voice didn't fit the green sad puppy eyes at all.

"No, but it'll help you survive today."

"I hate your cheerfulness."

"And I love your grumpiness. See you later, Natsuki." Mai turned around and started to run back to the school building, waving her friend goodbye.

"Yeah, thanks again." Natsuki growled, already wrapped up in thoughts again.

_Being in school during summer… This must be an old method of torture, probably from the middle-ages or something. Maybe I should try and ask Shizuru for help. After all, she's the student council president. I'm sure she can do something about this attendance stuff._

As Natsuki roamed around the main campus to look for the outstanding white school uniform, she was paying special attention to high-pitched screams that usually announced the chestnut-haired woman. And she didn't have to wait long. The unusual loud babbling of a bunch of middle schoolers next to the entry of the big class hall was a sure sign.

_These robots really are useful at times._

She couldn't hold back a grin about her evil thoughts. But as she came closer to her destination she instantly replaced it with an icy mask that would probably even scare away most of the teachers. When she was only a few more meters away, Tomoe was suddenly coming out of the building. But neither Shizuru nor the young girl seemed to have noticed Natsuki yet, and so she decided to wait a few more seconds. She couldn't understand what Tomoe was telling the robots, but the crowd went away like it was an order, leaving the Kyoto-born woman and the fangirl-leader alone.

The raven-haired girl didn't want to eavesdrop, but decided to observe the conversation from afar. Shizuru was faking her smiles like usual and Natsuki assumed that her words were just as fake. She knew that the crimson-eyed girl wasn't very fond of these girls following her around, but she never understood why Shizuru didn't simply tell them. Quite the opposite, she always had the feeling that her friend enjoyed leading them on. Focusing her gaze on the jade-haired girl, Natsuki observed the face of the middle schooler thoroughly. She wasn't completely sure, but she thought she had seen a light blush as the girl folded her hands nervously behind her back, looking at the Kyoto-girl with expecting eyes. It was a somewhat cute scene to watch and Natsuki had to admit that she was a little bit curious about the topic of the conversation.

But suddenly within the blink of an eye the nice image in front of her was shattered as the blushing face of Tomoe was replaced with a devastated look. Natsuki had no idea what just happened, but she could hear that Tomoe was yelling at the chestnut-haired girl before she started running back into the glass hall.

The school bell rang as a sign that lunch-break was over and Shizuru walked back into the direction of the school building not bothering about the whereabouts of the jade-haired girl.

"Oi, Shizuru wait." Natsuki shouted after her.

"Ara, is Natsuki trying to bring my attendance rate down, too?" Shizuru turned around gracefully and gave away one of her genuine smiles. That magic never seems to fail its purpose and so Natsuki lost track of her thoughts for a second.

"Err… now that you mention it." She stuttered while trying to remember why she was here. "I wanted to ask if something can be done about that."

"About your habit of staying away from school?" The taller girl said, playing dumb. "I don't know. Getting up in the morning could be a start. I could sleep with you in your bed so that I could wake you up on time." The melodic voice was underlined by the Kyoto-ben too perfectly and Natsuki could feel the heat rushing to her cheeks under the alluring tone of these words.

"Gahhh! No! Stop it! I wasn't referring to changing my habits, but changing my record. I was hoping you could help me with escaping summer classes." She had the hopes that making her voice sound cold would maybe cool down the warmth in her head too.

"I'm afraid I can't help you with that. I am graduating in a few weeks and with that I am no longer student-council president."

"Too bad." Natsuki said thoughtful while tugging a strand of hair behind her ear. "I bet your fanclub is going to miss you like hell."

"I was hoping you would miss me." Not even bothering to think about her robots, Shizuru brought the attention back to Natsuki.

"It's not like we're not going to see each other anymore."

"So, Natsuki is spending her holiday with me?" The crimson-eyed girl said as she hugged Natsuki from behind out of the blue. "I am so happy."

"I am spending my holidays at school." came the harsh response while she struggled free from the sudden embrace. After all the Ice-Queen wasn't really good with body contact. When she turned around to face her older friend again, she could see a small glance of pain in those deep red eyes but it was concealed in the next second. Natsuki felt sorry for hurting the other girl, but she had no idea what to say and so she tried to change topics. "By the way what did you say to Tomoe that made her run away so suddenly?"

"Since when is Natsuki interested in my fanclub? I thought you believed that those girls are all programmed robots?"

The raven-haired girl didn't say anything. She just stared at the Kyoto-girl, waiting for an answer.

"Is Natsuki jealous?"

"No and yes. I mean, no, I'm not jealous and yes, I still believe that they are robots, but this Tomoe seems to be nice. A bit cheeky, but nice. I talked to her the other day. I think she's really into you."

"I know. I just turned her down." Shizuru said with a serious undertone. "When did you speak to her?"

"You turned her down? Why? What did you say?"

"That I am not interested in her kind."

"In her kind? What's that supposed to mean?"

"I am not interested in any of my fangirls. They're quite annoying." Shizuru paused a second and lowered her gaze before she went on. "And you should know the reason why…"

Natsuki felt at a loss of words. She hated to talk about this. She always felt that these kinds of conversations hung over their friendship like a huge shadow. She hated to hurt the other girl, but she simply couldn't tell her what she wanted to hear, and so she didn't say anything at all.

"So, when did you and the famous fanclub leader talk?" The taller girl repeated her question. This time with a stronger voice.

"How can you talk so coldly about people who spend their time admiring you?" Natsuki didn't feel the need to let Shizuru know about the conversation with the middle schooler. She was sure that Shizuru wouldn't reconsider even if she was to tell her friend how much Tomoe admired 'her Onee-sama'.

"Since when are you on the side of squealing girls?" came the counter question.

"Sometimes I really have the feeling that I don't know you at all." Natsuki knew that Shizuru could be cold at times, but she had always thought of it as some kind of protection. Now, she wasn't really sure if there was anything that really mattered to the crimson-eyed girl at all. And so, she just looked at her in disappointment before she turned around.

"Where are you going?" Shizuru called after her.

"Looking for Tomoe."

And with that Natsuki was gone. She had to get away from there for now. She felt sorry for the fans of Shizuru because she knew that the Kyoto-girl could be such a great person, but she never showed that to anyone outside of her. And somehow, she felt pressured by that. She didn't want that privilege because she was afraid for not having anything in return.

After entering the huge glass dome it didn't take long to find the jade-haired girl. It was very quiet since most of the students were in their classrooms, attending their lessons, and so Natsuki just had to follow the noise that came from the center of the building. She found the younger girl at the rail that was circling the center of the hall. Coming closer, she noticed that Tomoe was trying to rip off one of the ribbons, which was knotted around the steel.

"Do you need a hand… or a knife?" She said as nonchalant as ever.

Tomoe turned around, but remained rather unimpressed. "No, thank you. I can do this on my own." _And if I need something sharp I could always ask Shizuru Onee-sama for another cutting conversation…_

Natsuki watched the strenuous efforts a few more moments before she decided to end the self-torture of the younger one and cut the ribbon.

"What are you crazy or something? Why do you bring a knife to school?" Tomoe yelled after she stumbled a few steps backwards.

"It's called self-defense." Natsuki explained.

"It's called irresponsibility."

"Don't freak out like that, it's only a pocket knife…"

"How dare you cut the bond between Shizuru Onee-sama and myself so easily?! Aren't you satisfied yet? Or do you really take pleasure in enjoying your victory so much?" Tomoe appeared enraged but also a bit desperate.

She looked at the underclassman and saw the resentful look in those gray eyes. "I told you it's not a competition. And if it is, I am not participating."

"Sure you are. So, stop meddling in my business. I am very capable of detaching a stupid ribbon."

"Didn't look like that to me." The raven-haired girl knew that this last comment wasn't necessary, but it was difficult to remain completely cool while the other girl was shouting at her with such passion.

But the last comment seemed to have stung. The jade-haired girl didn't respond anything anymore and just stared at her with angry eyes.

"A 'thank you' would have done." Natsuki said, trying to fill the silence.

"Ha, you wish!" Tomoe said in a defiant voice.

"Not that badly. I am not good with social graces myself after all."

"Yes, god knows what Shizuru Onee-sama sees in you."

"Believe me, I would like to know myself."

Again the younger one seemed at a loss of words and so Natsuki went on.

"So, why are you ripping off that ribbon?"

"Obviously because it doesn't work." Tomoe answered bluntly as if Natsuki was a bit slow.

"Of course not." _It's for teenagers who believe in unicorns. _

"Do you really think you're so much better than me?"

"Where did that come from?" The raven-haired girl shrugged.

"You said that you don't have feelings for Onee-sama, and I believed you, but now she turned me down… Again! I feel like an idiot." The voice of the young girl was shaking and suddenly Natsuki understood the meaning of the scene she had witnessed before.

"You were confessing to Shizuru outside?"

"Yes, yes. Go ahead. I'm sure you and Onee-sama had a good laugh about me."

"Why would I laugh about you? I think it was brave of you to tell her about your feelings. I'm sorry she didn't return them." The biker cocked a brow. _ This girl really thinks I'm a delinquent._

"Return… hah! She doesn't even take me seriously. She doesn't have eyes for anyone but you, and when I told her that you don't hold any feelings for her she said that I should never again dare pretend to know how the both of you feel about each other." Tomoe crossed her arms, while aimlessly looking around as if she didn't want to meet Natsuki's gaze.

"I'm sorry that Shizuru said those things to you, but I didn't lie when I said I don't feel for her that way."

"Then why don't you tell her?" Her gray eyes snapped back in anger.

"I have." The statement was simple but clear.

"Liar."

"Listen, I dislike how she treated you just now too, but you can't force someone to care for you." Natsuki's voice was strong, although the words pained her just as much. It brought back memories of the day Shizuru confronted her with the truth.

"I know you're not to blame, but still…" She looked at her with watery eyes. "… it's all your fault!"

Now, Natsuki was the one to fall silent. There simply wasn't anything left to say anymore. And so she thought it would be a good time to make her leave, but just when she was about to turn around, Tomoe started speaking again.

"I guess you're name is written down here, too…" The voice was almost fragile now. "Probably multiple times if you count that sissy black-haired guy." She made a short dramatic pause. "You're quite a heartbreaker." A small grin covered the sadness in her voice.

"W… what?" It was hard for Natsuki to hold back the blush that was trying to fight its way to her cheeks.

When Tomoe saw the struggle, followed by rosy cheeks a smile crossed her lips.

"Maybe I ripped it off too soon… Maybe this stuff works, and I only need to be more patient…" Staring at the bottom again her voice was unusually low.

_Ugh, this girl's beyond help… _Natsuki thought while watching her underclassman fumble with the cut-off ribbon. _Guess I need to show her that this whole thing is nothing more than an old legend to set up false hopes._

"Do you have another one of those?" The raven-haired girl pointed at the ribbons on the rail.

"What for?" Puzzled eyes were looking back at her.

"To show you that this is nonsense." Full of self-coincidence, Natsuki flipped back some strands of her dark hair.

The middle schooler started rummaging in her bag and soon took out a light blue ribbon.

"Normally I would be surprised that someone brings such stuff to school, but I guess it's some kind of fangirl codex." A challenging grin was on her lips.

"Well, normally I would be surprised that somebody brings a weapon to school, but I guess it's some kind of biker codex." Tomoe grinned back.

Natsuki had to admit that the younger girl caught her a little bit off-guard. She hadn't expected that kind of backtalk. But to her surprise she found it quite amusing. And so her usual grumpy response was replaced by chuckling.

When Tomoe heard the laughing, she didn't know where to put this new discovered emotion. She had no idea that the Ice-Queen was capable of such human things. But she had to admit that it didn't look misplaced at all, and far worse it made her chuckle too.

Natsuki felt a bit better when she saw the younger girl ease up. She fished out a pen and was about to start writing on the ribbon.

"Do we really need to challenge fate?" Tomoe said a bit afraid.

"Fate?" Natsuki looked at her with questioning eyes.

"What if it does work?"

"Well, then I am probably doomed to end up with that idiot Takeda assuming this magic is working by fair rules cause he obviously put the most effort in it. Plus Shizuru would end up having like 20 partners if you look at the number of ribbons with her name on it."

"Perhaps you're right. But still… do you really have to write Onee-sama's name on it…"

"I'm not writing down Shizuru's name, silly. After all, that wouldn't be the best example to show that this is superstition…" She paused. "Anyhow, I am going to write down your name to give fate a real challenge."

"What? Are crazy or what? Why would you do this?" Tomoe's terrified voice echoed through the empty hall.

"Look, truth be told: we both know that is never going to happen, and so it will be sure proof to you that this ribbon thing is a waste of time." Natsuki said calmly while she tied the ribbon around the rail.

Tomoe's jaw dropped as she stared at the older girl in disbelief.

"You'll see." Her voice husky as always, but it didn't sound cold and the jade-haired girl didn't know how to deal with the biker girl at all anymore.

The school bell ended their conversation in a rather harsh manner and the hall was soon flooded by students. A group of middle schoolers were coming down the hall and Natsuki wanted to get away before the squealing started. She said her goodbye and turned around, leaving behind a still speechless Tomoe, who was staring down at the light blue ribbon with her name written down on it.

_Challenging fate, huh…I hope you're not a sore loser, Natsuki…_


	3. Cut no Ice

_"__**Due to circumstances within my control, tomorrow will be cancelled**__**."**_

**Disclaimer: I don't own the characters.**_**  
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><p><strong>Chapter 3 – Cut no Ice<strong>

Every day during lunch-break the cafeteria of Fuuka Acadamy was hit by a riptide of students. The babbling noises along with the typical kitchen sounds could be heard throughout the whole campus grounds, and to a certain black-haired girl it normally acted as an alert to leave the crowded building immediately. Unfortunately, today was not a 'normal day'. Shizuru had tricked Natsuki into having lunch with her, and although Natsuki regretted to have given in to the fake sobbing like always, she wasn't one to break a promise. With every step she came closer to the cafeteria her gaze became icier. She hated people, and to be in a small room piled up with them wasn't one of her favorite hobbies.

_Ugh, a promise is a promise… But next time, I'll trick her into eating at the fast food restaurant. _

The thought of a giant Cheeseburger caused the saliva in her mouth to increase, but upon entering the cafeteria door she gulped all of it down at once. The place was dipped in orange and blue. The entire school seemed to be at the same place in this very minute. Already annoyed she looked around for the Kyoto-girl. After two minutes of searching without success, she faced the fact that her friend might be late. However, the growling of her stomach left her no choice but to head over to the food bank. The line was already fairly long and it took more than five minutes to get some fries and a hot dog. After she drowned her plate in mayo, she went over to one of the last free tables in the room. Two middle schoolers were walking over to the same table, but it was easy to scare them away with one of her death-glares. She sat down with a relieved sigh, and stared at her prey with glistening eyes.

Just a second later, the doors of the cafeteria swung open and a horde of young girls rushed in. The noise-level seemed to increase again when the group led by a jade-haired girl walked over to the food-bank.

"Are you sure that Shizuru-sama will be here today? Normally, she eats in the student council room or has lunch with the director." One of the girls said skeptically.

"I'm sure of it. My brother is a good friend of Kanzaki-sempai, and he told him that Shizuru will eat lunch here today with a friend." Another girl from the group gossiped.

"A friend, you say?" The girl's started to babble all at once now. Everyone seemed to have an opinion of the disliked friend of their Kaichou.

"Yes, it might be that delinquent Kuga."

"Such a gross person."

The mentioning of Natsuki's name got Tomoe interested. _Shizuru having lunch with Natsuki? Sounds logical. That means the enemy must be close. _She let her gray eyes wander around the cafeteria, finding the famous ice-queen sitting alone at a table in the corner. The girl was hovering over her plate like a falcon over its prey. Only the expression on Natsuki's face was more like a happy dog. The image looked so funny, it was almost cute.

"And have you heard? That Kuga-girl is a violent person, too. I've heard she has been seen in this shady bar downtown. Only criminals go there. I bet she's into illegal things."

"Yes, probably drugs."

"Or arms trade."

"Maybe she works for the Yakuza."

"Oh my god, what if she's blackmailing Shizuru-sama, or even worse threatening her into being friends with her."

"Will you stop talking such nonsense, already?" The voice of Tomoe cut through the gossip like a knife, and all the girls fell silent at once. They gave their unofficial leader skeptical glances.

"What's your problem? We were just trying to find reasons why Shizuru-sama would spend her time with someone like her." One of the girls said in disbelief.

"Who knows? Maybe because they're friends?"

"Tomoe, are you okay? Do you have a fever?" Another girl said with a hand on Tomoe's forehead.

"Stop it, idiot. If you want to know that badly, I will go over and confront her with the burning question."

"Somebody is loud-mouthed today." They mumbled.

Tomoe enthusiastically walked over to Natsuki's table after giving a sniff at the stupid comment of one of the girls. She could hear them babbling behind her back, but right now she really didn't give a damn. When she came closer to the table a wicked smile crossed her lips.

"May I sit down?" She said in the sweetest voice, startling the raven-haired girl in the exact second where said girl wanted to scarf down the hot dog. Natsuki was so shocked that someone dared to speak to her during this holy ritual of eating that she almost choked. When she brought her gaze up, she didn't quite believe her eyes.

"What is it?" She said bluntly as ever.

"Impolite as ever."

"Huh?" She looked at her with puzzled eyes. "Who's being impolite by disturbing a starving girl while peacefully eating her lunch?"

"There are too many words in that sentence that don't fit you at all." She said, while sitting down.

"I didn't invite you to sit down."

"I know." She grinned evilly to herself. "You didn't. At least not with words, but your heart was shouting out to me through the whole cafeteria."

"What the heck?" Natsuki's eyes got wide when the voice of the girl in front of her suddenly changed from cold to a scary mixture of girlish and dreamy. She lifted her head to take a look at the face of the middle schooler and found the gray eyes staring directly into hers. The heat rushed to Natsuki's face in an instant and she had a hard time trying to tear her eyes away.

"Are you okay? I mean mentally?" She asked with a shaky voice.

"I'm perfectly fine. Now, that I am with you." Tomoe kept up the masquerade. She had to admit that it was a little entertaining to make fun of the older girl.

Natsuki didn't know what to do. She felt completely off-guard and after the last words of the younger girl, she felt like taking a defensive pose. _God knows, what happened to her? She might be an alien or something. _She lifted her hands a bit, making herself ready for a possible attack.

"What is it, Onee-sama?"

"Onee-samaaaa? Whaaa! No! Oh my god. I knew it, you have been brainwashed and now you think I am Shizuru. Who did this to you? The fangirl robots? They've got you, too!" Natsuki pointed at the group of fangirls, who were obviously watching them.

The girls observed the reactions of the famous Ice-queen thoroughly and came to the conclusion that Tomoe did an awesome job in asking the girl about her relation to Shizuru.

"Tomoe really is something." One of the girls said while the others nodded in agreement.

The panic in Natsuki's eyes was almost too much for Tomoe to keep her serious façade, but it was way too funny to let the older girl off the hook so soon.

"Why are you so freaked out? You wished for this to happen? Don't you remember?"

"I didn't wish for anything. I…" Natsuki paused as the realization of yesterday's events sunk in. "The ribbon…Oh my god, what have I done…" She muttered to herself in disbelief. Tomoe watched the raven-haired girl with silent amusement.

_Slowly, I'm beginning to understand why Shizuru likes this strange girl… Ugh, what am I thinking here? Getting tricked by my own prank. She's the enemy. I should enjoy my victory for now. _

Wrapped up in thoughts, the two girls didn't notice a certain Kyoto-beauty walking over to their table. Only the melodic voice shook them both out of their thoughts.

"Ara ara, is Natsuki cheating on me just because I'm running a few minutes late?"

"Shizuru!" Natsuki spat out, completely shocked with her face beet red again.

"Glad to see you too, Natsuki." She smiled before turning to Tomoe. "Do we have a guest for lunch?" She asked just as politely, but still something in her voice had changed.

The voice of Shizuru had not only startled Natsuki, but for the first time, Tomoe wasn't too happy about the appearance of her idol. She had to say, she was rather disturbed at this rate. It was obvious that Tomoe was neither wanted nor needed at this table anymore, and now she had to find a smooth way out of the dilemma.

"No, we were just chatting. I've got to go and take care of some things." She said as politely as she could before leaving the table to make room for the student-council president.

Shizuru sat down and turned her full attention back on a flustered Natsuki. She noticed in an instant that something was wrong with her friend.

"Are you okay? Did she do anything to you?" Shizuru asked a bit worried.

"To me? No…" Natsuki said still shocked.

"But?"

"Nothing." It was obvious that Natsuki had no intention of letting Shizuru know what kind of conversation she had just missed, and so she decided to let it go for now.

"I'm a bit amazed that you haven't touched your food yet. But I'm happy that you were so polite to wait for me."

"Hm?" Natsuki was still spaced out. _I need to do something. I need to cut off that ribbon right away. Hopefully that will stop the curse. _Slowly drifting back to reality, she noticed that Shizuru was very suspicious towards her conversation with Tomoe, and so she tried to get a hold of herself. After all, the older girl didn't need to know what stupid thing Natsuki had done. "Yes, I wanted to wait for you. So, let's get started now. I'm starving." She said, trying to sound as cool as ever. Shizuru gave her one more skeptic look before she concentrated on her salad.

"You really should add some more fries to the mayo next time or leave the mayo out entirely. That is so unhealthy."

"Mou, stop bickering about my food. You know I like it that way." Natsuki didn't even notice that she was pouting while responding, but as always Shizuru found her opposite adorable.

"I wish I could say that about more things than only your food…" Shizuru mumbled, not really wanting the other girl to hear the comment. Thankfully, Natsuki was very busy with her food.

"So, why did you make me come here?" The emerald-eyed girl asked with full mouth.

"I didn't know it is such a bother to you to eat with me." She said a little sad.

"It isn't. It's just a bother to eat in the cafeteria." Natsuki explained, not wanting to be the target of another sobbing attack.

"I'll take you out somewhere else then next time. Is Natsuki free next Friday?" The chestnut-haired girl seemed to grab every chance she could get.

"Huh?"

"There's a festival in the city, and I would like to go there with you. We could have dinner too before."

"I don't know. I don't like that stuff. Stupid games. People everywhere."

"Please. For me?" She made her voice extra sweet.

"Can't you go with Reito?" Natsuki always had a hard time trying to resist the pleading red eyes, but she wanted to give it a try at least.

"No, he'll be going with Mai. There is also food." It was time to play the joker card.

"American food?" And of course, Natsuki became interested after hearing the word 'food'.

"Of course." Shizuru made a small pause before adding with a sigh: "But if you really don't want to, I won't force you. I might just go there alone then."

"Fine. I'll go with you. But only if you promise to never ever make me come here during lunch-break again."

"I promise. Thank you, Natsuki." Shizuru clapped her hands in delight before bending over and placing a quick peck on the cheek of the raven-haired girl, who instantly blushed in all shades of red. The shocked noises of the fangirls could be heard throughout the whole cafeteria when they saw the intimate act. Only their leader wasn't there to find out what the ruckus was about.

Tomoe had rushed out of the cafeteria without turning around to Natsuki or the fanclub again. She felt the gazes from the girls of the club upon her back, and she knew that they would probably gossip about her loss against Natsuki, but right now she didn't care. She just wanted to get away from there. She didn't want to sit next to her Onee-sama pretending that nothing had happened when her heart was still wrenching under every friendly but faked word coming from the mouth of the Kyoto girl. While she walked down the hall it suddenly hit her that she didn't clarify the situation with Natsuki at all.

_Damn it! She still believes the ribbon-thing worked. Hopefully she'll keep her mouth shut in front of Onee-sama… Wait! What if she doesn't? _A devious grin crossed her lips. _Maybe if Onee-sama thinks I'm interested in Natsuki now instead of her she'll reconsider. And even better… I could use that tactic to keep Natsuki away from her, too… This is just too perfect. Tomoe Marguerite, you are a genius. If I can't have Onee-sama nobody will._

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><p><strong>AN:** Next chapter done. That was such a nice change from the increasing drama in A fine line (- btw next chapter will be online on saturday). Hope you liked the chapter. Thanks to my wonderful beta HollowPoint for encouraging (bribing) me to write this story.


	4. Sights set

"_**You fall in love with the wrong person simply because the wrong people may say the right things."**_

**Disclaimer: I don't own Mai HiME or Mai Otome.**

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><p><strong>Chapter 4 – Sights set<strong>

Bright lights and loud babbling noises coming from an awful lot of people were naturally sure signs for the raven-haired Ice Queen to stay as far away as possible from such an event as the summer festival of the town. But thanks to the manipulating crimson eyes of her best friend, Natsuki found herself right in the middle of the crowded market ground. Ever since she had parked her bike and saw the countless heads running through the streets, she felt the need to drive far away. But instead of leaving the city for a nice ride in the cool night air, she had to wait for Shizuru, and thereby endure the annoying voices of millions of kids who begged for food or participation in one of the countless games.

"Ara, I'm happy to see that Natsuki is punctual for once." The melodic voice coming from behind startled her at first, but she tried to keep her cool composure nonetheless.

"That's because I want to leave as soon as possible." The grumpiness was to be expected since it wasn't a secret that Natsuki hated festivals.

"It's nice to see you too." The sarcasm in Shizuru's voice didn't go unnoticed by the raven-haired girl, who instantly felt slightly sorry for her harsh words.

"Sorry. I'm just not good with crowded places."

"I know. And it makes me really happy that you'd do this for me. Natsuki is my knight in shining armor." Shizuru said in the sweetest tone before grabbing Natsuki's arm. The girl immediately tensed and Shizuru loosened her grip with disappointed eyes.

"I wouldn't go that far." Natsuki tried to sound as normal as she could in the hopes of brushing the oddness of the situation off. Shizuru seemed to want the same as she replied with her usual playfulness.

"So, Natsuki says I'm not a princess? How cruel…"

"Oi, I didn't say anything like that!" Her mind went on panic mode, but was instantly reminded that this was just an old trick. And she was not in the mood to go through all the episodes of teasing now. She was hungry, and she wanted to go home as soon as possible. "Ugh, listen. Can we just go and get this over with."

"As you wish. How about starting with something to eat? I'm sorry that I couldn't make room for our date at the restaurant, but my father is very strict with business assignments. Would you like a hot dog as atonement?" At least Shizuru still seemed to be able to read her thoughts.

"Sounds good." The face of the raven-haired girl lightened up as they started to walk over to the food stands.

On the other side of the festival grounds, Tomoe started to get really annoyed by the boring conversation of her friends. Lately, the fan club had become a nuisance to her. She felt like she didn't fit in there anymore after her Onee-sama had crushed her hopes once again. Right now, she couldn't deal with praising the crimson-eyed beauty.

_I don't even know why I came here to begin with. The information that Onee-sama is here too might be fake anyway. _

After another conversation about the Kaichou's gorgeous eyes and her graceful movements had started, Tomoe decided that it was time to get away for a while. She made up an excuse for leaving the noisy crowd of middle schoolers alone, only to run into a pile of laughing kids.

_Geez, is there no escape from this loud mess?_

She struggled her way out of the center of the festival and leaned against a cold wall. While she let her gaze wander upon the flickering lights and random people she suddenly felt captured by a small stand that was offering hot dogs. At first she thought she might be hallucinating, but after she had seen the raven-eyed companion of her Onee-sama drooling over the greasy American junk food in the cafeteria the other day, she was sure that her eyes didn't trick her.

_Great, so the rumors were true. And I of all the people have to run right into them. I bet the girls would freak out if I told them that Onee-sama is really here with Natsuki. Thank god, they haven't spotted them yet. I bet Natsuki would give them a good death glare. Although…_

When Tomoe looked over to the two girls again, she saw a pleased expression on the face of the emerald-eyed girl as she scarfed down the second hot dog.

_Food seems to appease the beast quite fast. _

After Natsuki had finished eating, Shizuru dragged her into the direction of some small stands that were a bit offside from the crowded area. Not really knowing what else to do, Tomoe followed the girls silently. When they came to stop at a lottery stand, the jade-haired girl was quick to find cover behind a kissing couple.

_Phew, that was close. What the hell am I doing here anyway? Didn't I want to stay away from Onee-sama for a while? I guess old habits die hard. _

When she felt safe enough to risk another peek, she could see Natsuki pulling one of the multiple strings that were hanging down. She didn't seem so lucky though as the end of it was empty.

_Well well, lucky at cards, unlucky in love they say. And since you've already won Onee-sama's heart you don't even need to try!_

When Natsuki pulled another string with an empty end, she hung her head down in disappointment. The jade haired girl saw Shizuru placing a hand on the shoulder of the raven-haired girl, probably to cheer her up. It pained her to see her Onee-sama acting so caringly towards the cold girl, but when her gaze drifted back to Natsuki a strange thought crossed her mind.

_Somehow she looks like a lost puppy right now._

Just when Tomoe felt a bit sorry for the unlucky girl, she observed how Shizuru pulled a string. And of course, she was lucky. An evil grin crossed her face as she thought back on the saying.

_Lucky at cards, unlucky in love… Okay, that was mean, but still…_

The owner of the stand gave the chestnut-haired woman her prize. When Shizuru turned around, Tomoe couldn't see what it was. She got a little closer, after making sure that the upperclassmen couldn't see her, and found the object to be a little stuffed cat. The crimson-eyed girl offered her prize to Natsuki with a warm smile, but her opposite didn't really light up. Quite the contrary, she made a disgusted face, and shook her head. Shizuru's smile faded and was replaced by a look Tomoe had never seen before.

_Onee-sama… Right now, she looked… sad. I wonder if Natsuki even noticed._

Within a blink of an eye Shizuru had managed to cover up the emotions with a smile. She said something Tomoe didn't catch and they both started to walk away from the lottery.

_Stupid games. Of course there is no use in spending money on such pointless things like a lottery. They only have stupid prizes and… Hey, it's a Sailor Mars doll. I guess I might give it a try._

"One ticket, please." She said to the carny in her sweetest voice.

"That'll be 300 Yen." The response sounded completely disinterested, but still the price was horrendous.

"What? You bast…" Tomoe's eyes wandered back to the Sailor Mars doll, and after another flood of grumbling sounds, she fished out the money and looked for an appropriate string. She remembered Natsuki taking two blue strings, and Shizuru pulling a purple one. _Okay, Sailor Mars. Think, Tomoe think… Oh yeah, her element is fire! It has to be the red string! I am a genius after all! _The jade-haired girl pulled the string with enthusiasm and as expected the end wasn't empty.

"Congrats, little girl. You won a prize." When the carny gave her the so called 'prize' she couldn't do anything but nod. _It's kind of cute, but_ _probably not even worth 100 Yen…_ She thought to herself while she started to walk away quite disappointed about not getting what she wanted. _Just like always._

When she was about to go back to her group, she had hung her head so low that she didn't notice that a person in front of her wasn't moving. Only the impact as she stumbled into the back of the girl in front of her shook her out of her thoughts. After she had blinked twice, she couldn't believe how unlucky she actually was. _Great… Of all people she had to bump into Shizuru Onee-sama._

"Ara, Marguerite-san. What a surprise to meet you here." Although Shizuru's voice sounded as friendly as ever it somehow had an edge to it. Not really knowing what to say or do, the younger girl started babbling.

"Yeah, such a coincidence. Don't you think?" The nervous giggling didn't really help in sounding self-conscious.

Shizuru of course noticed the insecurity and just nodded, her red eyes never left the younger girl, who felt completely caught off-guard.

"So, where's Natsuki?" Tomoe suddenly said in the hopes to break the uncomfortable silence. The realization of her stupidity, only hit her with the next comment of the chestnut-haired beauty.

"How do you know that I am here with her?" The words were sharp, and the gray-eyed girl could only gulp in response. "I guess there was a rumor about Natsuki and me coming here together, ne?" The smile on Shizuru's face was back as soon as it had died away seconds ago.

"Yes… The girls from the club told me about it." _I sound like an idiot! I got to come up with a reasonable explanation here or else she'll think I am a completely scary stalker. _"Right, and the club sent me to give this to you." She nervously searched her bag for the prize she had won a few minutes ago.

"Well, thank you Marguerite-san but I already got one." Shizuru held up the stuffed cat, and turned around with a slightly annoyed expression.

"Oh, I see." _Was she always acting so arrogant or am I really such a nuisance to her?_ In the corner of her eye, she saw Natsuki coming out of one of the restrooms. _Fine! You asked for it Onee-sama!_ "Ne, Natsuki. I just won the lottery." She made sure to make her voice super sweet.

"Oh, hey Tomoe. Didn't know you would be here too. Everyone besides me seems to be lucky I guess. The prizes were stupid anyways." Natsuki said nonchalantly as ever.

"You think so? Maybe you're right. Who needs a stupid stuffed dog? I might as well throw it away or give it to one of the kids." Tomoe took the little blue stuffed animal out of her bag, ready to throw it into the closest garbage can.

"Dog?" Natsuki said without noticing that she had spoken her thoughts out loud. Tomoe was a bit startled at first and wasn't sure if she was imagining things.

"What does Natsuki want to do next?" Shizuru asked out of the blue, interrupting the small conversation. Tomoe couldn't help but think that it was on purpose since the Kyoto beauty didn't even try to conceal her intentions. "I'm sure Marguerite-san needs to get back to her friends now." The sound of her voice was so melodic, yet the words were sharp like daggers. The jade-haired girl felt like crying, but the anger burned away the tears. Maybe it was mean to drag Natsuki into the cold war between herself and her Onee-sama, but right now she didn't care.

_Alright, let's go all the way then!_ She thought to herself before she turned around with a provocative glance. "Actually, I'm here all by myself and hoped to meet some people I might know to hang out with."

"And I'm sure there are some of your classmates here." Shizuru said with a smile and an even more intense glare.

Natsuki was still wrapped up in thoughts about Tomoe's prize. She couldn't stop asking herself if the gray-eyed girl was lucky enough to win the cute stuffed animal that looked like a husky. Only when she saw Tomoe tightening her grip around her bag, she snapped out of her thoughts.

"Fine. If you want to get rid of me that badly. I'm gonna leave you two lovebirds alone." She said, before she stomped away.

"Now, that was a little impolite." Shizuru said with the fake tone of regret in her voice.

"I'm not quite sure to whom you are referring…" Natsuki's words made Shizuru uncomfortable. She didn't want the raven-haired girl to think of her as cold-hearted, but she had been looking forward to spending time with her secret love without being bothered by fangirls. When she saw Natsuki walking after the jade-haired girl once again, she suddenly became a little worried. It was unusual for her silent friend to be interested in strangers, and given the fact that Tomoe was the leader of a group that Natsuki claimed to hate, made it even more bizarre.

"Oi Tomoe, wait up!" Natsuki wasn't yelling, but it was fairly louder than her usual low voice. Still enraged about the harsh words of Shizuru, Tomoe stopped but didn't turn around. Her hands were clenched into fists, and the whole position gave off a stay-away attitude. Natsuki on the other hand, as the master of leave-me-the-fuck-alone emotions knew exactly how to act without invading the personal space of the middle schooler. She positioned herself next to the agitated girl, and avoided unnecessary statements. She figured that nice phrases or comforting words were something Tomoe didn't want to hear in her anger right now, and so she decided to be as blunt as ever.

"If you really wanna go for Shizuru, you should learn to control your emotions better. Otherwise she'll kill you with one of her fake smiles one day."

"She doesn't seem to mind you being the Queen of bluntness."

"I thought I was the mighty Queen of Ice."

"Well, let's say Princess of Cold. I don't think you are as fragile as ice."

"Ice is not particularly fragile. It can be as hard as stone if it's thick enough." Natsuki replied.

"But that takes time. At first it's razor-thin. Even if I tried, Onee-sama would melt it within a second with her flaming words. I'm impressed she didn't turn you into a pile of water. You're ice must be getting thinner with every minute you two spend together."

"I'm not quite sure about that. It doesn't feel like melting. More like cracking..."

Tomoe peeked around not knowing what to say. She didn't get the raven-haired girl at all, but when she turned around she saw the two crimson-orbs piercing her intensely. She let out a little sigh before she fished out the prize from her bag.

"Here. Thanks for the advice. Although I doubt I am able to be as cool as you." Tomoe said with a sigh.

"I'm not cool. I'm just… Oh my god, it's the husky!"

"It's only a stupid stuffed dog." _What's her deal?_

"Thank you, Tomoe."

_Okay, she is definitely weird. She drives a motorcycle, is unsocial, grumpy, and yet she's grinning like a child just because of a stupid stuffed animal. I guess I completely misinterpreted her personality. She actually seems to be okay. In a very odd way. _

When Shizuru saw Natsuki smiling over the stuffed dog, a wave of anger shot through her body. She couldn't stop herself from walking over.

"You're welcome." Tomoe said to Natsuki with a light smile. Suddenly, she felt a death-glare on her neck and instantly knew that Shizuru was coming over. She was pretty sure that the Kyoto-beauty wouldn't be so pleased about the scenario. But somehow, right now, she didn't care. Why should she feel bad about something that seemed to make the Ice Queen happy? Her anger against the chestnut-haired girl started to increase again, and without really thinking about her actions Tomoe swirled around, facing Natsuki.

"Do you want to go goldfish scooping with me?" She said with pleading eyes.

"Huh?" the raven-haired girl obviously was startled, but since she didn't instantly say no, Tomoe kept being persistent.

"I always wanted to scoop one but I'm never fast enough. You seem like someone who's capable of catching a big fish." _The biggest of all actually…_

"Err…I guess, I could try." Natsuki stuttered, not really capable of turning down the younger girl.

"Thank you, Natsuki Onee-sama!" The young girl squealed in joy.

"Onee-sama?" Natsuki's eyes shot open in panic. _Oh no, not again. I almost forgot… No, she was acting completely normal seconds ago. She talked about wanting Shizuru didn't she? Well not directly… but still. What if the ribbon thing is… NO! That's nonsense. She's probably just thankful._

"Ara, you two seem to get along quite well. I'm amazed that Natsuki is finally trying to be nice to other people." Shizuru's words were friendly, but her eyes were hard.

"Yeah…" Not really knowing how to explain the situation to her friend, Natsuki was as one-syllabically as ever.

"Let's go!" Tomoe tossed in with newly discovered self-consciousness.

"Go?" Shizuru's crimson eyes were searching Natsuki's for an answer, but she only found an apologetic look.

"Natsuki Onee-sama promised to scoop me a goldfish." Tomoe said happily, whereby she paid special attention to Shizuru's reaction.

"Well…" Shizuru was quick to respond, but even to the jade-haired girl it was obvious that she had troubles in finding the right words at the moment. "That sure is nice of Natsuki Onee-sama. She's really good at scooping…"

This time her voice slightly changed, and a glimpse of anger was visible through the veil of containment in the deep red orbs.

_Oh my god. What have I done? _Natsuki noticed the change of mood in Shizuru's eyes instantly, and somehow she felt really bad about the whole situation. But before she could think of a plan to get out of this smoothly, Tomoe had grabbed her arm and started to drag her from Shizuru's judging eyes.

The gray-eyed girl knew quite well that Shizuru was completely exasperated, but she didn't care. Right now, she enjoyed being the one in control for once.

_I'm sorry to drag you into this, Natsuki. But if I can't have Shizuru I will at least make sure that she doesn't get what she wants either. You might be right about ice being hard as stone, but I'd rather fight fire with fire! _

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><p><strong>AN:** Flood of story-updating this week. I was hard-working ;-) Sadly the reviewers weren't. Thanks to HollowPoint. He was also hardworking with beta'ing all of my updates


	5. Tight lipped

"_**Sometimes the best way to get over someone is to get to know them."**_

**Disclaimer: I don't own the characters or Mai HiME or Mai Otome.**

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><p><strong>Chapter 5 – Tight lipped<strong>

"It's barbaric. Look at the poor fish stuffed together in such a small tank. We shouldn't support such cruelty." The crimson-eyed woman said with spite.

"But…" _I always liked the goldfish-game… I was looking forward to finding a new friend for Goggly…_ The chuckling of the chestnut-haired girl drew her attention back to the current situation. She could see that Shizuru was about to drag Natsuki away from the game, but Tomoe wasn't ready to lose yet.

"Onee-sama, let's rescue at least one of them from a painful and tragic death." The jade-haired girl tried to make her voice sound as dramatic as possible.

"Ara, ara, I think you're being a little melodramatic here."

"Aren't you cruel… and here I was thinking we could save at least one." She covered her face and sighed before turning her back on the upperclassmen. Her body was slightly shaking back and forth to imitate light sobbing. Natsuki, who had been silently watching the conversation, felt the need to step in. Crying girls did always make her panic. She just couldn't deal with fragile teary eyes at all. Clenching her hand around the stuffed puppy a little tighter, she felt like it was her duty to make Tomoe smile again as a sort of repayment for giving the husky to her. She walked over to the supposedly upset girl, and placed her free hand on the back of her underclassmen.

"Don't worry. I'll help you." She said in her typical serious tone.

Tomoe peeked through her hands with a grin. "So, Natsuki Onee-sama is scooping a goldfish just for me?"

"Let's rescue one of those poor little creatures." was the answer as she glanced apologetically over to Shizuru.

"Natsuki, you do know it's not helping the fish if you give the carney any money."

"It's also not helping them if I don't." Natsuki gave Shizuru a glance that said: 'But it's at least helping her.' The Kyoto girl stared at her younger friend in disbelief. After she was sure that Natsuki really was determined to cheer the other girl up she finally gave in, rolling her crimson eyes in defeat.

"Fine. Let's rescue one." Pronouncing the word 'rescue' in a very sarcastic manner, she walked over to the tank to take a closer look at the goldfish.

Tomoe immediately righted herself and smiled in delight. Natsuki's eyes lingered on the younger girl as she watched her rushing over to the tank. It somehow made her happy to see the joy in the gray orbs again. It was such a nice change to have someone around who doesn't always fake emotions.

"Onee-sama, look at this one!" Tomoe's voice was almost cracking over the energetic comment as she pointed at an agile little fish that was swimming near the surface.

Shizuru was just about to reply to the middle schooler when she noticed that Tomoe wasn't speaking to her but Natsuki. The change of addressing was definitely something she had to get used to. She didn't really mind that the girl stopped calling her 'Onee-sama', but the fact that she had suddenly shifted the addressing towards Natsuki made her curious.

"Alright, this one you say?" The raven-haired girl asked to make sure while pointing at the little creature.

Tomoe nodded frantically with her brightest smile. Natsuki turned around and gave the carney his money before kneeling down in front of the tank. After three unsuccessful tries, she started to feel a little embarrassed.

"Damn, that slimy little beast…" She mumbled when the next try went to waste.

"Natsuki, don't you think you've spent enough money by now?" Shizuru's voiced sounded as if a mother was scolding her child. "I'm sure Tomoe will be satisfied with whatever fish you catch her."

The glance which was now shifted towards the jade-haired girl made the words sound even more intense. It was obvious that Shizuru just wanted to get rid of her, but Tomoe wasn't going to be defeated yet.

_It might be wrong to use Natsuki's weakness for sad girls against her, but I have no choice. I am not as stupid as you think Shizuru Onee-sama!_

Natsuki who was still busy looking for the quick fish gave Tomoe a brief questioning peek to see if Shizuru was right, and the gray-eyed girl knew this was her chance. She changed her face from happy to somewhat sad before she answered the crimson eyed girl.

"If I can't have this one, I don't want any of them. I can't simply replace someone after I've laid eyes on them. It wouldn't be fair to the other fish, for I would still always think about only this one. I thought you of all the people would understand." The voice of the middle schooler was low, but Shizuru understood every sharp word. When Tomoe's eyes purposefully wandered over to the raven-haired girl who was still kneeling in front of tank to underline the statement, Shizuru almost snapped. She had a really hard time keeping her composure. Until now, she had simply thought of the jade-haired girl as someone noisy, but now she was sure that the brat was just plain evil. Gulping down the frustration, Shizuru forced a fake smile and turned around to pay the carney.

"What are you doing?" Natsuki asked as the Kyoto girl kneeled down beside her.

"Helping Tomoe getting what she wants, obviously. After all, we've always been a good team, right Natsuki?" She smiled at the green-eyed girl and received a nod. Tomoe only scrunched her nose over the statement. _As if Onee-sama would really want to help. She wants to get rid of me… But I guess when they catch the fish I have no more excuses to stick around any longer… Please little fish, be fast enough._

And as if the fish had read her thoughts it was still not ready to be caught. It kept slipping away over and over again to a point where nothing more than frustration was left. The carney watched the desperate hunt and couldn't keep the grin off his face. Shizuru was about to give up and face her destiny of having to share Natsuki for the rest of the evening when suddenly water splashed into her face.

"Gotcha!" Natsuki screamed in delight, holding the jar that finally contained the sneaky little creature up in the air like a trophy.

"Natuski Onee-samaaaa! Thank you!" Tomoe's voice cracked with joy when she saw it was the right one. Without thinking she rushed towards the raven-haired beauty and flung her arms around the girl's neck. Natsuki was so shocked about the sudden body contact that she couldn't keep standing stable. Unable to hold her balance she stumbled backwards as an overjoyed Tomoe held onto her.

When Natsuki suddenly hit the edge of the tank behind her, her knees finally gave in to the weight. But instead of trying keep herself from falling by using her arms, she kept holding the jar up in the air out of reflex, and so she and Tomoe were sent flying backwards, right into the cold water. Soaked to the bone, the girls were sitting in the middle of the tank.

"Good try little one, but not god enough to beat a Kuga." Natuski said to the small creature in the jar with victorious smile on her lips.

Tomoe suddenly burst out in laughter.

"Oi, what's wrong?" Natsuki asked already a little embarrassed.

"Not good enough to beat a Kuga, eh?" She chuckled again. "Look at you, sitting soaked in a tank surrounded by fish, talking to the cute little one as if it's some kind of evil enemy."

"Talking about enemies…" Natsuki countered much cockier than expected, and although it took a second before the young girl got the meaning, her body instantly showed off a reaction. She could feel the heat rise to her cheeks over Natsuki's comment. _How dare she… When did she become so glibly. _

"Oi, you girls get out of the tank now! Or I'll make you pay for all of the fish!" The voice of the carney sounded completely annoyed. Natsuki once more smiled at Tomoe before a hand was silently held out in front of her.

_Ah right, I'd completely forgotten that Shizuru Onee-sama is still here. I bet she's angry like hell at me. But it wasn't completely my fault, was it?_

Of course the hand was only meant for Natsuki, but instead of taking it, the raven-haired girl handed the jar over to Shizuru. Tomoe could see that the Kyoto-girl was not only disappointed, but even a bit angry about it. Still, she took the jar without any comment. Natsuki was quick to get out of the tank herself, offering the jade-haired girl a helping hand.

"Are you okay, Natsuki?" Shizuru asked with concern, while bringing her hand up to stroke the girl's cheek. Natsuki ditched the contact but answered instead.

"Oh come on, it's just water. It's not like I'm going to die from it." The husky voice fit the cool response all too perfectly.

"Well, you might if you drive home on your bike with your wet clothes. You can stay over at my house tonight. I'll call a cab." Shizuru offered in the sweetest voice.

"No!" Natsuki spat out without thinking. "I mean… No, it's not necessary. I have something to do in the morning, and…" The stuttering was only one thing that made the atmosphere very awkward. The tension was almost tangible, and although both were still smiling, none of them felt comfortable. It was one of those moments where you wish you could just vanish, but since Tomoe had no magical abilities, she did the first thing that came to her mind. Not knowing if it would be of any help to either Shizuru or Natsuki she triumphantly tossed in:

"As sort of a 'thank-you-both-for-catching-the-cutest-fish-in-the-tank' I'd like to invite you to my house. It is right down the street, and Natsuki Onee-sama could change into dry clothes, while you can have tea. Both of you can safely drive home afterwards without having to worry about each other."

Shizuru was absolutely not thrilled by the idea, but she could see Natsuki deliberating. She already got her rejection, and driving home with her was better than having the girl alone at the house of this annoying little brat.

"That's a wonderful idea, don't you think Natsuki?" Shizuru's fake smile was at its best, but since Natsuki was still too uncomfortable about the previous conversation, she didn't look in the crimson-eyes and couldn't tell the difference. Relief was clearly visible on the face of the biker, and so she just nodded in agreement.

Tomoe took the lead, carrying the little fish in the jar while Natsuki and Shizuru walked silently behind her. Shizuru thought of a thousand ways to spark up a conversation, but nothing felt right to her, and so she just remained quiet. When Tomoe turned around and saw the tragedy, she couldn't help but mentally grin. _That's how it feels, Onee-sama. This time it's my victory._ Her gaze wandered to the raven-haired girl, who looked just as troubled, and suddenly she felt really bad about the whole situation. _It was my plan to use Natsuki against her, but… I don't know if it's worth it. After all, Shizuru Onee-sama will never see anyone but her. Somehow, I don't even know why I fought so desperately at all. I've always thought Onee-sama was the one and only, but seeing her with Natsuki isn't as hurtful as I thought it would be. I wonder how Natsuki feels about that… Does she hurt, too?_

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><p><strong>AN:** I wanted to give my readers and especially my beta HollowPoint at least a little Christmans present. So, here's another chapter of our lovely NatTom pairing. I've also started working on the next She came at dawn chapter and I again worked a little on my new NatNao story which will be published next year. I wish all of you a Merry Christmas and hope to hear from somebody of you through a pm or review, yours damn unique


	6. Days on end

"_**Please speak slowly. My heart is learning."**_

**Disclaimer: I don't own Mai Otome or Mai HiME just the plot for the story.**

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><p><strong>Chapter 6 – Days on end<strong>

The white mansion at the end of the street lay in perfect silence, and although it was brightened by hundreds of lights it looked empty and cold. Tomoe didn't even notice that the house gave away somewhat of a sterile atmosphere and neither did Shizuru, who was used to living in some sort of palace. Only Natsuki was standing in awe in front of the entrance to take in the enormous size of the building. She never understood why people needed so much space to live especially with only one daughter. _Wait, does she have siblings? I don't know anything about her._

"Do you have siblings?" Natsuki asked bluntly as ever while she stepped inside the hallway. Tomoe and Shizuru both gave her an incredulous look before glancing at each other with mischief.

"Is Natsuki probably looking for a possible fiancé?" Shizuru teased the now confused girl.

"We have yet to figure out if my brother would fit her needs though." Tomoe added in a sarcastic tone.

"Huh?" _What, are they ganging up against me now? The great Kuga can't be outdone! _She sighed dramatically, which was not only unusual, but also absolutely weird for the famous ice-queen. "And here I was hoping for a sister." Natsuki countered calmly. It was completely new to Natsuki to make her husky voice sound so daring, but judging by the reaction of her predators she did quite well. Tomoe's jaw hung open, while Shizuru's gaze mirrored complete confusion. _Don't mess with me!_ Natsuki thought as she felt utterly cool, though not only in a good way, but also in a kind of chilly way. Her biker suit was still soaked and the night air hadn't helped much either. She was freezing, and she needed to get out of that stuff as soon as possible. Tomoe sneezed in agreement before embracing herself to stop shivering.

"Ara, the two of you better get changed right away." The Kyoto-beauty stated as she walked over to Natsuki in attempts of warming the girl by rubbing up and down the slender arms. Natsuki slightly blushed under the touch, and Tomoe felt as if she was interrupting some kind of intimate moment. _That's just because Natsuki is so damn innocent when it comes to such things. I bet even a handshake would make that girl blush. It's not that the rubbing would help anyone anyways…_

"Shizuru-san!" The loud and jolly shout made Natsuki jump. Not only that it seemed to come from right behind her, but also the fact that it was a low male voice confused her deeply. When she looked past the Kyoto-girl, she saw a rather embarrassed looking Tomoe who smiled friendly over Natsuki's shoulder. Shizuru stopped the rubbing, and flashed one of her polite smiles behind the raven-haired girl as well.

"Good evening Marguerite-sama, what a pleasure to see you." The Kyoto-ben passed Natsuki's ear and floated through the room; the usual mask of perfection right in place.

"Didn't I tell you to drop the formalities? I'll let it slip this time though since you look absolutely stunning as ever."

"Ara, you're flattering me, Hideo-san." Both, Natsuki and Tomoe could tell that Shizuru's overjoyed voice was faked, but neither of them said anything against it. It was Shizuru after all.

"And I fear I'll never stop to. My daughter sure has the best taste in women." The man was now standing next to Natsuki. Before the raven-haired girl turned to take a closer look, she caught sight of Tomoe slightly blushing under the man's comment. The man had short brown hair and the same gray eyes as the jade-haired girl. He looked fairly young, and Natsuki wasn't sure if he really was Tomoe's father or not, but then the girl was still young herself. So it might not be too farfetched.

Becoming aware that he was being looked up and down by the stranger, Hideo tore his gaze off of Shizuru, to take a closer look at the other guest.

"See something you like?" He said with a flashing smile that caught the biker girl completely off-guard along with the words.

"Err…" She stuttered before turning bright red.

"Adorable aren't you?" He said as he took in the unusual outfit of the raven-haired girl.

Tomoe had always been slightly annoyed with her flirtatious father, but today it was even worse. Not only was he complimenting Shizuru as always, but now he also started to hit on Natsuki. It bugged her, and she was in no mood to let the play go on for long.

"Father, this is Natsuki Kuga. A very good friend of mine." Tomoe proclaimed a little too happy for Shizuru's likings.

"As I said the best taste in women…" _Father just doesn't know when to stop…_

"Alright, that's enough for tonight. Natsuki and I need to get changed as you can see we're soaking wet." The jade-haired girl did her best too hide the annoyance in her voice, but her glaring berated her.

"Right, now that you mention it." Not very threatened by his daughter's look, Mr. Marguerite gave both girls and interesting glance. Tomoe snorted lightly, and finally he let it go. "Alright, alright. Go change then. I will kidnap Shizuru for the time being." He smiled and turned his attention back to the Kyoto-born with an intense tone. "If she doesn't mind of course." Shizuru's eyes spoke volumes of displeasure about the idea, but her good manners stopped her from denying.

Natsuki had seen the discontentment in her friend's eyes, and was a bit worried to leave her like that, but then it was Shizuru's decision to go along with it just because she felt obligated to do so. The raven-haired girl had never understood why someone would bother to do things if they don't want to. When the young jade-haired girl turned around to check on her, Natsuki finally tore her eyes away from the room where Shizuru had just disappeared into, and started walking upstairs. The silence between them was a bit awkward, and somehow the raven-haired girl felt the need to fill it.

"Nice house."

"I personally think it's a bit too big, but thanks nonetheless." came the nonchalant respond.

"Yeah, nobody needs this much space."

"Apparently the ego of my dad does." Tomoe made a goofy face, bringing out a smile on Natsuki's usual stern expression. "This is my room." She gestured, towards the door in front of them.

"So this is where the princess lives, huh?" The raven-haired girl didn't mean to tease the middle schooler, but apparently the words provoked a light blush.

"At least my palace isn't carved out of ice." Tomoe snapped as she hurried through the door.

"Oi!..." When Natsuki entered the room, she had to admit that palace wasn't too far fetched. It was big and she instantly felt lost. A canopy bed occupied most of the opposite wall, leaving only a small spot for a nightstand. There were a lot of candles scattered over the room, and Natsuki couldn't help but think that Tomoe probably had a maid who would light them in the evening. Otherwise the girl would be pretty busy every day. A massive ebony wardrobe on the right wall was a notable contrast to the window front at the other side of the room.

"Fancy…" Natsuki said, her tone a bit sarcastic as she found the whole house way over the top. Tomoe only snorted, and walked over to the wardrobe. She doubted she had anything that would fit the biker girl, but she couldn't let Natsuki run around naked, could she? _Especially not with Shizuru Onee-sama around… Who knows what her blood pressure would do to her?_ Fumbling through her clothes she finally found a shirt that looked somewhat adequate for her guest along with a pair of jeans that should somehow fit as they always had been a bit too long for the jade-haired girl.

"There you go." She handed the clothes over to a skeptical looking Natsuki and turned around to find some for herself. When she didn't hear a sound behind her back she turned back to make sure the biker hadn't suddenly disappeared into thin air. But there she was, standing in the same spot with the clothes in her hand, giving her an incredulous look.

"Don't give me that look. I don't have anything that would match your taste. If you can call it that." The sarcasm was so clear that even Natsuki got it instantly.

"Oi, what's that supposed to mean?" The girl barked with her arms akimbo.

"Nothing, I just don't have a leather fetish." Tomoe couldn't hide the light chuckle that had forced its way out.

"What…" Natsuki was about to jump on the little brat, but something told her not to.

"Are you going to change now or what?"

"In the same room?"

"Excuse me?" At first Tomoe had no idea what Natsuki meant, but after she looked at the defensive position the girl was in she finally got what the older girl was referring to. She didn't quite know how to respond though. Was she really supposed to leave the room just because Natsuki had issues? _No, somebody should teach the girl not to act so shyly._ "Ahem, we're both girls so where's the problem?"

"Ri… right." A light blush rose to her cheeks and Tomoe really didn't know if she found it ridiculous or rather cute. _It makes no sense that someone rough like her can be so cute, damn it!_

"You really are way too innocent." The middle schooler said, finally giving in to the discomfort of her opposite. After all they needed to get changed, and she felt no desire to torture the girl any longer than necessary… or at all… anymore.

"Thanks…" Natsuki mumbled before placing the clothes on the desk to unzip her leather suit, revealing a black bra with matching panties. As she reached out for the shirt, her gaze suddenly drifted over the wall above the desk. At first she didn't really know what to make of it, but after a few seconds she realized what it was, and she wasn't sure if she found it hilarious or creepy. The wall was practically wallpapered with pictures, news articles and all imaginable stuff concerning Shizuru. _She is obsessed… or maybe possessed. Who knows… Poor girl._

The silence behind her made Tomoe a bit nervous, and she thought about the possibility of taking a peek and getting her ass kicked or to just waiting for the other girl to say something. She decided it couldn't hurt too much, and slowly turned around a bit. Her first reflex was to snap her head back in a slight blush, when she was greeted with bare skin of her upper-upperclassmen that was only covered with underwear. But after another second she realized why Natsuki was standing there so completely distracted. _Crap! How could I forget about that?!_

"Stop looking at that! It's called privacy!"

"It's called being nuts, and… Oi! How do you know I was looking at…" She hastily tried to cover as much as she could as she turned around with a flushed face to meet furious gray eyes. "Don't you start about privacy with me you perv!"

"Perv?! You were not supposed to see that!"

"Same to you!"

"Oh come on, you're not the first girl I've see in underwear." _Although the first that looks so stunning…_

"Still, you weren't supposed to turn around." The raven-haired girl barked in embarrassment.

"And you weren't supposed to look at my private things."

"It's not very discrete to have your wall papered with Shizuru, is it?"

"You're right…" Natsuki could see the rage burning in Tomoe's eyes, and as the younger girl started stamping over to her, she was a bit afraid that she was about to get physically harmed this time. But Tomoe didn't even bother to give her another look as she rushed to the desk, starting to rip the stuff off the wall that Natsuki had bemused a minute ago.

"Wait! What are you crazy now?" She couldn't believe her eyes as she watched Tomoe going nuts. And so she threw herself on the younger girl in order to prevent her from doing something she might regret later.

"Get off of me!" Tomoe struggled and fought against Natsuki the best she could, but the biker was strong.

"No, not until you stop this madness!"

Tomoe turned around with tears in her eyes. "It must be really funny to see me this pathetic. It sure is easy for someone like you… for the one person, who Shizuru Onee-sama always has her eyes on. But don't you dare laugh about people who were trying to fight for the person they love. Even if it was all in vain!" The middle schooler desperately tried to free her hands from Natsuki's firm grip, but the biker didn't intend to let go before the girl calmed down. Tomoe was stronger than she had thought, and so she had real trouble keeping control over the situation. It was a mere battle of wills fought with their hands, and just when she thought she had won, Tomoe shoved her backwards. Her back crashed against the desk, while the younger one practically landed on top of her. They were somehow leaning against the wooden piece of furniture while Natsuki still held onto Tomoe's wrists. Tomoe's face was a little flushed from the tears, and the sight somehow really got to the black-haired girl. She felt sorry for making fun of her about something that seemed to hurt the younger one so deeply.

"I'm sorry, Tomoe. I didn't mean to make fun of you. You are right. I don't know how it feels to fight for someone you love that way. But sometimes you have to let go of a dream if it turns out to be a nightmare."

The middle schooler was rendered speechless. Her gray eyes felt hypnotized by the warm gaze, and the sincerity of the words. _I wonder if this ribbon-thing is somehow bewitching me… or maybe it really is her… That can't be. She's is Natsuki Kuga, the famous ice-queen, the enemy… she is… beautiful…_

Natsuki looked straight into the gray eyes and was glad to see the tension lift. It was replaced by something she hadn't seen before. At least not while Tomoe had been looking at her.

Not really aware of her movements it took the jade-haired girl awhile to realize that her head was inwardly inching closer to Natsuki's. She had no idea why this was happening but some kind of invisible force seemed to push her closer. She couldn't think, she couldn't fight, all she could do was wait for what was coming next. Their heads were now fairly close. So close that Natsuki's eyes widened in slight shock. The biker had no idea what she should do. Or what her opposite was about to do. She felt helpless, and although she was the one who had a hold on the younger girl, she somehow couldn't bring herself to stop her. Their closeness felt awkward, but not in a bad way. She didn't feel forced to do anything. This had always been her greatest fear around Shizuru. The knowing that the older girl expected something of her she didn't know if she was ever able to give. Natsuki had always been threatened after the Kyoto-girl had forced these things on her during the carnival, and she had always felt trapped in guilt, but this was different. She was the one in control. She could stop this, but somehow she didn't feel the need to push away. It was as if she wanted to see what was about to happen. And just when she felt the warm and unsteady breath of the jade-haired girl, the silence was torn apart by an icy and devastating voice.

"I didn't know you'd become that close to my fanclub-leader, Natsuki. It seems I must have missed some things…" Both heads snapped around in unison under the Kyoto-ben that sounded anything but soft and alluring right now.

"Shizuru…" Natsuki didn't know why her voice sounded so weak, but seeing that deadly look in the red eyes reminded her of the carnival, and of the monster the chestnut-haired girl had been.

"You don't have to apologize, Natsuki. You didn't do anything wrong." Tomoe's voice was steady and strong as she peered into the menacing rubies. "It's not very polite to come into a room without knocking."

"It's not very polite to molest my most precious person either." The accent made everything so smooth but still the words somehow sliced through the air.

"I wasn't molesting her." Tomoe jumped away from Natsuki with clenched fists.

"It sure looks like that though." Shizuru let her eyes wander over the barely dressed form of Natsuki, making the girl blush before she put on the shirt and the jeans.

"Shizuru, she wasn't molesting me." Natsuki explained after she was fully dressed again.

"There's no need to defend her, my dear Natsuki. You really are too good of a person so I can't blame you for falling for her cheap tricks." A smile formed at the corner of her lips as she gave the biker-girl a light nod.

"Like what?!" The jade-haired girl instantly snapped over the insult.

"Cheap tricks?" Natsuki's gaze was puzzled. She had no idea what to make of Shizuru's words. Had she been tricked by the younger one?

"Tomoe, did you really think I would allow you to toy around with my Natsuki just to get closer to me. I know that you used her in order to receive my attention. What a sad person you are. Did you really think this would work?" Shizuru's voice was so hurtful that Tomoe instantly felt like a toddler who had been done something reckless. The chestnut-haired woman sure knew how to threaten people.

"I… I wasn't…" Tomoe stuttered, her hands now merely shaking instead of being clenched into fists. Natsuki could see the change in the younger girl's behavior and felt the need to stop this bullying.

"Shizuru, stop it. It's not her fault. It's mine. I tied that stupid ribbon thing around the railing in the glass hall. I didn't know that stuff would actually work." It was the only reasonable explanation she could think of by now. Why else would Tomoe suddenly act that way around her? It was her fault. Although she had to admit she didn't mind the closeness from before. It felt weird, but not particularly in a bad way. At least she didn't feel threatened or cornered. Something she felt a lot around the ever teasing Kyoto-girl.

"Ara, Natsuki. You do not seriously believe it has something to do with that? Didn't you see that she was just acting? She was fooling you. Isn't that right, Tomoe?" The piercing red eyes wandered back to the middle schooler, trying to break the last fighting spirit.

Tomoe looked at Natsuki with a pained expression while the biker was just looking utterly confused. "I… It's not like that. I mean she's right. The ribbon-thing was just a farce and originally I wanted to get to know my enemy better, but…" She averted her gaze, and started to stare insecurely at the floor instead. "Things have changed. I don't consider you as my enemy anymore. You're much more than that now…"

"What? Your super-enemy?" The raven-haired girl didn't really know what to make of the news. Was she really so easy to be fooled? She honestly had believed that Tomoe did like her somehow.

"No! I really… I do like you… like… ahem… a lot… Maybe the ribbon did work somehow." A small blush formed the cheeks of the still insecure girl. The whole scenario made Shizuru sick, and she felt the urgent need to step in once more.

"Don't be ridiculous." Shizuru said way louder than everyone would have expected the famous Kaichou to speak before she turned to the emerald-eyed girl. "Natsuki, don't be fooled by her. We all know she's obsessed with me. Just look behind you." She was pointing at the former shrine that now looked like Tomoe felt.

"Not anymore…" Tomoe's voice sounded as if she was about to crack as whispered her words twice. "Not anymore."

"Ara, you're obsessed with Natsuki now, then?" The voice of the Kyoto was full of disdain.

"I am not obsessed. I like her. She's very kind." Tomoe said, meaning every single word of it, but Shizuru was quick to shoot back.

"She is. Not very fitting for you, don't you think?"

"And neither for you." Tomoe said, her voice still sounding weak.

"Would you two just stop it? Where's the sense in this kind of conversation?" Natsuki hated to see the two girls fighting each other over… her? Whatever the real reason behind this was, she wouldn't allow breaking the middle schooler anymore. She knew Tomoe had suffered enough because of Shizuru, and having the chestnut-haired girl talk to her like this would only make things way worse.

"I am just trying to make you see that she is using you." Shizuru said, her voice now almost apologetic.

"I told you I am not." Even if Tomoe was afraid of the Kaichou, she wouldn't let her spill lies about her intentions with Natsuki.

"Enough already." _Geez, these two just don't know when to stop._

"I really do like you, Natsuki…" Tomoe's words stopped Natsuki's trail of thoughts instantly, and let her eyes wander back to the shorter girl to find two gray orbs that were looking directly into hers. Right now, she couldn't help but believe what the girl had just said. Maybe she was a fool, or maybe Tomoe really meant what she said.

"Don't you dare…" Shizuru's voice, now dangerously low, once more tore the moment apart.

"Don't I dare what?" Tomoe asked, her voice now a lot calmer and stronger than before.

"Take her from me." It was odd to hear such honesty coming from the always reserved girl, but when it came to Natsuki there was no need to beat around the bush.

"You don't own her. You never have…" The jade-haired girl wasn't sure if that was true, but after everything Natsuki had told her, and what she herself had seen, she was fairly sure that at least half of it was true.

"Shizuru! Stop it, please."

"But Natsuki… she's trying to cheat you away from me."

The raven-haired girl knew that she was probably the only one who could put an end to this conversation. "She is right… you don't own me."

"Natsuki…you do belong to me…" Now it was Shizuru's voice that was cracking.

"I don't… I can't." It pained Natsuki to say these words directly into her friends face, but she felt it was about time to have a clear stand.

"But this is Tomoe…" Shizuru couldn't believe what she heard.

"I know." Natsuki averted her gaze, not able to look in the hurt eyes any longer than necessary, but Shizuru searched hers. The older girl had cleared her throat a little for finding the strength to say the next words.

"So you chose her, someone you barely know, over me?" Natsuki knew it was her chance to free herself and also Shizuru from the dark cloud that had been hovering over her relationship ever since the carnival. She turned around to search Tomoe's gaze and found it. The gray eyes looked at her with curiosity, but also with a kind of reassurance that she had been looking for. After what seemed like an eternity, Natsuki finally brought her gaze back to Shizuru. She gave her an apologetic smile before stating her last apology.

"I'm sorry."

* * *

><p><strong>AN:** And this is it. I am sorry it took me like forever to finish the story. I was busy with my other story and also very busy my real life.

To my readers: Things are messy but I am trying to update "She came at dawn" as soon as possible. I have already written half of the new chapter. So, don't worry the update will come soon.


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